The Last of Us 2 guide and walkthrough for combat, collectibles and more

This The Last of Us 2 guide provides a walkthrough, tips and more to help you with this apocalyptic sequel. From safe codes to collectibles, weapons, Easter eggs and more, it's all here in one place. Whatever you're looking for, the guides we have come from hours of multiple people playing the game to find out everything you need. 

Whether you just want to make things easier, or track down hidden collectibles and secrets for a 100% completion playthrough, it's all here. Just take note that any guides that span the length of the game might have some mild spoilers but we've done everything we can to minimize that and marked it clearly when they're coming up, so you can still use everything before that point. With the exception of the ending breakdown and Easter eggs, there's nothing here that contains any big plot info.   

Tips

These The Last of Us 2 tips are the best place to start if you're just getting started and want a fast primer to what's going on. There's some solid advice here that covers the essentials of combat, crafting, upgrading Ellie and generally surviving. It's completely spoiler free, focusing on some core things you need to know that will make life easier.  

Map

A few hours into the game you'll find yourself with a large open downtown Seattle area to explore. While the story will guide you to the key things you need to do, there's a lot more here than just the plot, and this The Last of Us 2 map will make sure you don't miss anything. There are supplies, upgrades and lots of amazing moments you could miss (make sure you go to the music store). This is still spoiler free as it's more or less the beginning of the game, after the intro hours.  

Safe codes and combinations

There are The Last of Us 2 safe codes and combinations to find and use throughout the game. Opening up these safes and locked doors won't just give you valuable resources and ammo, but can also get you certain weapons and gear early. Make sure you don't miss out by using this to find every safe, and the combination to open them. 

Training manuals

The Last of Us 2 training manuals unlock new upgrades for Ellie and are important if you want to craft items faster, or improve abilities like listening sense or crouching movement speed. Some are tucked away, some are out in the open, and while the game will make sure you eventually find them, you can get get them much earlier if you know where to look. 

Workbench locations

Knowing where all The Last of Us 2 workbench locations are will let you upgrade your guns - so the more you find, the better your gear will get. However, they're not always obvious, and some are quite well hidden in some larger areas. Miss out and you could be delaying improvements that would help you out when things get rough. There's also a trophy in finding them all.

Weapons and gear

There are plenty of The Last of Us 2 weapons and gear to help you survive. You'll get all of it eventually, but if you know where to look you can actually get some things earlier. There's a shotgun you can unlock in the first few hours for example, and crafting options like stun bombs and trip mines you can unlock a lot sooner if you find them in the wild. This guide will point you in the direction of the earliest possible point to unlock all the best stuff.   

Trading cards

There are The Last of Us 2 trading cards to find everywhere as one of the main collectibles. These superhero themed items can be very well hidden in open levels, and not even that easy to see in linear spaces. They're small, usually tucked away out of sight and generally require some digging about. This guide will point you in the right direction, making sure you complete the set and get the trophy that comes with that. 

Coins

Around half way in to the game you'll start finding The Last of Us 2 coins, a second collectible. Again there's a trophy for getting them all so you'll probably appreciate some help finding them. SPOILER WARNING HERE THOUGH: you'll probably want to wait until you find your first coin, which introduces them, before you start looking through this guide. 

Easter eggs

There are plenty of The Last of Us 2 Easter eggs to find, from references to the last game, other Naughty Dog titles and a wealth of pop culture nods. There's even an honest to God porn reference in there. There's a bit of a spoiler risk here simply because it covers the length of the game and shows characters and locations as a result, but there's no direct story spoilers.  

How long is the game?

If you're wondering how much time it takes to clear The Last of Us 2, here's where we answer the question: How long is The Last of Us 2? In all honesty, it all depends on how you want to play - tearing through the story, or savoring every second and exploring the large levels thoroughly. The length of a single playthrough can vary a lot, so we'll explain all the variation here. 

New game plus

There's more to discover in The Last of Us 2 new game plus than just a chance to play through the story all over again. Here's where we cover the various new options and extra things you unlock once you've completed the game. 

Ending explained

Obviously any discussion about The Last of Us 2 ending is going to be SPOILERS from start to finish. So don't go near this until you've finished the game. However, here's where we explore the story's conclusion, tie up any lose ends and try and breakdown what it all means.